Campus News: bilingual college workshop for prospective students

Bilingual admissions workshop

UIC and Benito Juarez Community Academy will host a free bilingual financial aid and admissions workshop today for families and students.

The workshop will be held at Juarez, 1450-1510 W. Cermak Road.

The sessions, offered in English and Spanish, include an overview of the admissions and financial aid process, planning for college and how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Sponsors include the Office of Admissions, the Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services Program and the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Networking night

Meet U of I alumni at the Alumni Connections After Five networking event Feb. 27.

The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Orange and Blue room, Illini Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive. Cost for alumni is $10 by Feb. 23 and $20 at the door; $20 for others by Feb. 23, $30 at the door.

Lecture celebrates Lithuanian studies

UIC will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its endowed chair in Lithuanian studies March 3 with a reception and talk by Leonidas Donskis, a Lithuanian philosopher, political theorist and member of European Parliament. The event begins at 3 p.m. in the Illinois Room, Student Center East.

Donskis will speak on “A Truly European Story: Lithuania in the 21st Century World.”

He has written and edited more than 30 books exploring political theory, the history of ideas, and the philosophy of culture and literature. In 2004, the European Commission named him ambassador for tolerance and diversity in Lithuania.

The endowed chair in Lithuanian studies was UIC’s first externally funded chair.

The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required by Feb. 26. For more information or to RSVP, contact Heather Cohen at cohenh@uic.edu or 312-413-4927.

Co-sponsors include the offices of International Affairs and Public and Government Affairs, the department of Slavic and Baltic languages and literatures, the UIC Fund for Polish-Jewish studies, the Sandi Port Errant Language and Culture Learning Center and the Institute for the Humanities.

Faculty senate nominations

The committee, which includes nine tenured faculty members elected for three-year terms, is selected by tenured and tenure-track faculty through ballot election.

The committee communicates faculty concerns to the administration, hears and makes recommendations on faculty grievances, and holds hearings and makes recommendations on cases involving severe sanctions short of dismissal. Eligible faculty cannot hold an administrative position and must have at least a 75 percent appointment.

Nominating forms, due March 21, are available in the Office of the Senate, 513 Student Center East. For more information, call 312-996-2926.

Humanities grants

Tenure and tenure-track faculty members in the humanities can apply for up to $20,000 in funding for innovative research projects.

Funding for projects is provided by the Humanities Without Walls Consortium, a group funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The UIC Institute for the Humanities is participating in the 15-member consortium, which aims to create new pathways for collaborative research, teaching and scholarship in the humanities.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will match the first year of funding.

Projects should explore the Midwest as a key site in shaping global economies, cultures and public policies.

Have green ideas?

Student organizations and individual students have until Friday to submit preliminary proposals seeking funds for campus projects related to sustainability, energy efficiency and conservation or renewable energy, including composting, landscaping and transportation.

A total of about $30,000 will be awarded by the Green Fee Advisory Board, which includes students, faculty and staff. The funding comes from the UIC Green Fee paid by undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

Science and religion

The Institute for the Humanities and UIC Jewish-Muslim Initiative will host a conference March 10 exploring the role of science in religion.

“Science in Judaism and Islam” takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Institute for the Humanities, lower level, Stevenson Hall.

Modernizing O’Hare

Find out details of the $7 billion O’Hare International Airport modernization project at a lecture Thursday.

Economic jackpot?

A lecture Friday examines the implications of expanding casino development to help bolster the state economy.

“Casinos as Tools for Economic Development in Suburban Chicago” takes place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Great Cities Institute, 400 CUPPA Hall. Speakers are Ryan Gallagher and Michael Wenz, assistant professors of economics at Northeastern Illinois University.